2 charged after River Heights thieves steal packages, break into garages

Two men, age23 and 25, are charged in connection with multiple property crimes throughout Winnipeg's River Heights neighbourhood.

The men were caught Tuesday as they tried to steal a package delivered to a home on Wilton Avenue, police said.

"That's certainly been on everybody's mind lately as we're pre-Christmas and hundreds and thousands of things are getting delivered," said Const. Rob Carver.

Police got a break in the case when someone tried to sell some stolen goods on Dec. 15, he said.

"Luckily, an upstanding citizen thought 'This stuff looks like it might be hot' and called us. Sure enough, it was, and we were able to narrow it down to a couple of suspects," Carver said.

With the suspects "on our radar," Carver said, police patrols were actively looking for them when they allegedly were spotted trying to take the package on Dec. 18.

Thecrimespree stretches back to August and includes the following incidents, police said:

• Aug.14: a mailbox was broken into on the 2000 block of Corydon Avenue.
• Nov.14: a garage was broken into on the 600 block of Ash Street.
• Nov.15: a storage trailer was broken into on the 200 block of Lindsay Street.
• Nov. 6-18: a shed located on the 100 block of Borebank Streetwas broken into.
• Nov.30: a package delivered to an address located on the 300 block of Lockwood Streetwas stolen.
• Dec.1: mail was stolen from a residence on the 200 block of Waverley Street.
• Dec.4: mail was stolen from a residence on the 700 block of Mulvey Avenue.
• Dec.5: a garage in the 100 block of Brock Streetwas broken into.
• Dec.10: a construction site in the 400 block of Academy Roadwas broken into.
• Dec.13: a construction site in the 200 block of Niagra Streetwas broken into.
• Dec.15: a garage in the 600 block of Academy Roadwas broken into.

"A number of officers have worked for months here to put this together and it worked out. It takes a lot of work and a lot of connecting of the dots," Carver said.

"Certainly, the stars aligned for the investigators here, and we'd like to think that there's going to be a significant impact in terms of crime in the area now."

Solving crimes like this is greatly aided by people reporting incidents, so police can track the thieves' movements and trace the stolen items, Carver said.

Something else that has grown to become invaluable is a recording from a doorbell security camera.

"I cannot stress how big a factor that has become in terms of our investigations," Carver said, noting the quality of the video and still images lets them easily identify the thieves.